Umrah visa and the Nusuk app: what you need this season

The rules for coming to Umrah change from one season to the next. Below is where they stand on 28 October 2026, from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Saudi Press Agency and the Gulf press. Before you pay for anything, check them again in the Nusuk app or on the official sites.

Which visas allow Umrah

In October 2025 the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that holders of any visa can perform Umrah: personal and family visit visas, the electronic tourist visa, transit visas, work visas and others. Hajj is different and needs its own visa. Most pilgrims from abroad come on one of these:

• The Umrah visa. You buy it as part of a package from a licensed Umrah company, on the Nusuk platform or through an approved agent in your country. Since 10 June 2025 it is issued only after the company has registered your stay on Nusuk Masar, in a hotel licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, so your hotel comes with the package.
• The tourist eVisa. For the nationalities that can get it, from the official visa site. It allows Umrah outside the Hajj season, and you book your own flights and hotel.
• The stopover visa. Fly Saudia or flynas through the Kingdom and you can add a free transit visa to your ticket, good for up to 96 hours: enough for Umrah and a visit to the Prophet's Mosque.
• Residents of Saudi Arabia, and anyone already in the country on a visit or work visa, need no new visa. They only need the Umrah permit.

The 1448 season

The Ministry's calendar for this season:

• Umrah visas and entry to the Kingdom opened on 31 May 2026 (14 Dhul Hijjah 1447), and pilgrims could enter Makkah with Nusuk permits from 1 June.
• The last Umrah visas are issued on 9 March 2027 (1 Shawwal 1448), the day of Eid al-Fitr, and the last day to enter is 23 March 2027 (15 Shawwal).
• Every Umrah pilgrim must leave by 7 April 2027 (30 Shawwal).

If you plan to come in Ramadan, apply early, because the visas stop on the day of Eid. Our article on the best time for Umrah goes through the seasons.

How long the visa lasts

• Since November 2025 you must enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the Umrah visa being issued, or it is cancelled automatically. Once you arrive you can stay up to three months, within the season's dates. So apply when your dates are fixed, and book a flight that lands within the month.
• Since 20 July 2026 there is also a multiple-entry Umrah visa, valid for a year (365 days) from issue, with up to 90 days in the Kingdom across all your visits. Each visit needs a new package from an approved provider on Nusuk, no longer than the days you have left, and an Umrah permit from the Nusuk app before you arrive. It can't be used in the Hajj season, from 1 Dhul Qadah to 13 Dhul Hijjah.

What it costs

The Saudi authorities set the fees and change them from time to time, so we don't quote a figure that may already be out of date. On an Umrah visa, the fee and the compulsory health insurance are part of the package price. For the tourist eVisa, the official site shows the total before you pay. Pay only on official sites or to a licensed company, and be careful with "visa only" offers: an Umrah visa is now issued only with a registered hotel booking.

The Nusuk app

Nusuk is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's official platform, as an app and a website (nusuk.sa). You sign up with your passport details, and in it you can:

• buy an Umrah package, which comes with the Umrah visa;
• book your Umrah permit;
• book a time to pray in the Rawdah in Madinah, as our guide to the Rawdah permit explains.

The Umrah permit

• Every pilgrim needs one, whatever the visa. Book it in Nusuk before you reach Makkah. Staff check it at the entrances to the Haram's courtyards, in the Nusuk or Tawakkalna app.
• If you bought a package, look in your account first, as the permit may already be there. If it isn't, book it yourself.
• The time on the permit is for entering Masjid al-Haram to perform Umrah. You can go in to pray at any hour without one.
• You can't change the time. Cancel in the app before the slot starts and book another; if you miss it, wait until it ends, then book a new permit.
• In Ramadan and the school holidays the slots go quickly, so book as soon as your dates are set.

Vaccines and health

From the Ministry of Health's requirements for Umrah in 1447 (2026), the latest published when we checked:

• The meningitis vaccine (quadrivalent ACYW) is required for every pilgrim: the conjugate vaccine within the last five years, or the polysaccharide one within the last three, at least 10 days before you arrive. Pilgrims from some African countries must show a certificate.
• Polio vaccination is required for travellers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and some African countries, and yellow fever vaccination for travellers from certain countries in Africa and South America.
• Pilgrims over 65, pregnant women and people with certain chronic illnesses, such as heart, lung or kidney disease, need proof of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Carry your medicines in their original packs, with a doctor's letter about your condition. If you are travelling with older parents, read Umrah with elderly parents.

Women and the mahram

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says a woman may come for Umrah without a mahram. Whether she should travel without one is a question scholars answer differently, so ask a scholar you trust.

Before you pay

• Your passport has at least six months left.
• Your dates fall inside the season: last entry 23 March 2027, last departure 7 April.
• Your flight lands within 30 days of the visa being issued.
• Your Umrah permit is booked in Nusuk before you reach Makkah, and your Rawdah permit too if you are visiting Madinah.
• You had the meningitis vaccine at least 10 days before you arrive.

The rites themselves, from ihram to the end, are in how to perform Umrah, step by step.

The Umrah visa rules changed several times in 2025 and 2026. Look at the date on any guide you read, this one included, and confirm with Nusuk or your Umrah company before you pay.